9 Ways to Rock Instagram for Pet Bloggers

by: Carol Bryant

BlogPaws
is all about making life easier for the pet blogging community. We’ve come a
long way since our first conference in 2010—back when there was no such thing
as Pinterest or G+. Now, we’re pinning, Instagramming, Tweeting, blogging, and…..well,
insert dozens of social media platforms here.

Today
we’re focusing on the front nine, and later in the week, with the back nine. We're sharing 18 tips to improve your
social media experience on Facebook and Instagram. If it seems like social
media changes as soon as you feel you’ve got a groove for it, you’re right. And
that’s why BlogPaws is here for you: to provide, educate, and inspire: one
amazing pet parent at a time.

Here’s
the skinny on what you need to know—quick and scannable easy tip style—on Instagram.
We’ll cover the back 9 (Facebook tips) on Thursday of this week.

9
LAND AND LEARN: Potential Instagram followers will most likely land on your “home page,” so
give them something to remember: Your blog URL. Akin to Twitter, you don’t get
much in terms of character real estate, so use those 150 characters wisely.
According to social media guru, Kim Garst, “Apart
from your url, a good strategy is to briefly tell who you are, what you do, and
how you're different.” We concur.

8 HASHTAG TIME: Think Instagram is all about pretty pictures and selfies?
Well, sort of, but oh so much more. Garst reports that sharing a weekly roundup
of your favorite blog posts is a great way to connect with Instagram
followers.  Earlier this year, yours
truly penned a piece about Instagram
for pet bloggers.  Once you've
uploaded a photo in IG, you want to hashtag it appropriately. Hashtags on IG
are similar to but work a bit differently than hashtags on Twitter. Any word
that is preceded by a hashtag will be searchable in IG.

7 RELEVANCY: Be relevant and use hashtags but use them carefully and with a purpose. Learn
more about Instagram hashtags here: http://blog.instagram.com/tagged/Instagram-Tip.

6 WATER WATER (MARKING) EVERYWHERE:  I recently learned about watermarking my photos for Instagram
(and other social media platforms). There are several apps out there, but for
1.99 Kim Garst shared in her recent updates about iWatermark. You
can easily stamp a URL on your photo, or if you have one, a graphic watermark.
If your image goes viral, you are prepared!

5 CONTESTS, TOO! Promote a contest or giveaway you are running on Instagram. If
you are a fan or follower (hopefully both) of BlogPaws, you know our early bird
pricing and sweepstakes ends on Halloween. We want folks to know so they can
take advantage of this very special price. So we took to Instagram and shared a
collage of images. Have you seen it? Again, proceed with caution and purpose on
the hashtags used.

4  TIMING IS EVERYTHING: There are key times to post on Instagram, and I apparently
fall into the demographic cited by Search
Engine Watch. Photos work well anytime, and yes people are scanning
Instagram while they work. Videos tend to perform better during non typical
business hours. This is attributed to the audio component: You certainly don’t
want your boss hearing your Instagram browsing, right?

3 SHHHH: Silence can be golden when shooting an Instagram video. As you
dive into this very addictive and very productive if used right social media
platform, remember sound or the lack thereof. You get 15 seconds to make an
impression via video, and sometimes the most memorable clips are those without
sound. Try keeping a finger over your phone’s microphone, according to NYMag,
and keep shooting different angles and scenes for maximum effect. Try it and
practice. There is no steadfast rule that you have to publish everything.
Delete and try again. Just don’t drive your pets ga-ga in the meantime.

2 POP GOES THE IMAGE: Like every social media landscape, be unique on Instagram. Using
photos with text overlay can make images pop. Think about when you scroll through
social media, like Facebook. Images that stand out often have text associated
with them. Ask your followers to post a photo of something specific and use a
certain hashtag to follow them all, similar to Twitter.

So perhaps I want everyone to post a photo of cats who are all
cozy and snuggled. I might have a cute pic of a kitty and something like this:

1 BE SOCIAL: I can’t stress it enough: The first one in social
media is social—so rock it and make friends. Follow, like, respond, and engage.
Instagram is like a boomerang: You get what you give. Click on hashtags outside
the pet space. I happen to like suspense thrillers and 80s music. I love to
follow beauty bloggers and read about product trends. Follow hashtags related
to topics that interest you, then click on them as you peruse Instagram. Like
Dorothy, you never know where that road will lead.

Got a favorite Instagram tip or hint? Are you on
Instagram? See you on IG! Oh, and I'm @FidoseofReality. And don't 4-get:
@BlogPaws.

Are you on Instagram? Share your IG name below and we'll follow you back
@BlogPaws.